Linor L. Hadar

The Interaction between Group Processes and Personal Professional Trajectories in a Professional Development Community for Teacher Educators.

This study explores the interaction between transformative processes in which a group of teacher educators became a professional development community (PDC) and the individual progress of these instructors through the professional development course on the topic of thinking education. Twelve teacher educators who participated in one of three yearlong programs were each interviewed three times. Other data sources include reflective writing of the participants, field notes, and recordings of the PDC meetings. Findings show that both breaking of isolation in the group and talk about student learning were essential in promoting individual progression toward change that entailed developing awareness of the possibility of infusing thinking into college-level teaching and the development of dispositions to do so in their courses. Factors that enhanced and hindered dispositional change are explicated in the findings and discussion.

Personal Professional Trajectories of Novice and Experienced Teacher Educators in a Professional Development Community.

Experience in the workforce influences teacher educators’ responses to professional development efforts for adapting new practices. This study examines trajectories of novices and experienced teacher educators in a three-year longitudinal professional development community focused on infusing thinking into college teaching. A four-stage trajectory model for development was used to track changes in practice among the teacher educators. The authors’ analysis identified three distinct patterns of professional development among teacher educators: one characterizing novice teacher educators and two distinct patterns for the experienced group. While novices exhibited openness toward learning, the experienced teacher educators were divided into one group that revealed an inquiry stance examining their practice and a second group that claimed expertise and was less willing to consider changing instructional practice. This initial differentiation at the first trajectory stage led to distinctions in development at later stages, resulting in a reclassification of the educators into three groups: novices, experienced experts, and experienced non-experts. These findings emphasize the importance of teacher educators’ years of experience, attitude towards inquiry, and self-perception of expertise as critical determinants of successful educational reform.

Pedagogy in practice: the pedagogy of a learning setting as students experience it

This paper opens a theoretical discussion regarding the pedagogy of a learning setting as students experience it. Students’ experience of learning deserves particular attention because it may differ from the pedagogy that is designed and campaigned for by the school, or even from the one that is ‘experienced’ by the teacher in the same situation. In order to open up such a discussion, we introduce the term ‘pedagogy in practice’ (PiP). This new term describes the pedagogy that actually acts on students’ thought and affects; it relates to the interaction between the school’s pedagogy and students’ experience of it. In this paper, we define the concept of PiP and examine its implications and differentiation from related pedagogic concepts. By doing so, we question educators’ and policy makers’ ability to understand, evaluate, make sense of, and eventually improve pedagogies or curricula in general without looking at PiP in particular.

Pedagogy in Practice: School Pedagogy from Students' Perspectives.

This paper introduces the concept of ‘pedagogy in practice’ (PiP), referring to the immediate interaction between students’ learning experiences and school’s pedagogy and distinct from the pedagogy advocated ‘from above’ by the school. We bring the concept of PiP into focus by analysing students’ open‐ended discourse about their learning experiences in 24 open group conversations, comparing two holistically different learning environments (conventional and an alternative arts and sciences (A&S) high school in Israel). The results show that A&S students described their learning experiences as ones wherein they actively steered and navigated their own learning process. Students’ experience of the conventional school’s pedagogy implies that the conventional school’s PiP considers its students as passengers joining a ride over which they have little control. Traditionally, research has looked into students’ perceived learning experiences for the purpose of better understanding their learning processes. We suggest that students’ talk about their experiences is also informative for understanding their interaction with the schools’ pedagogy.

Critical moments in the process of educational change: understanding the dynamics of change among teacher educators

Abstract This study examines the complex process of change among teacher educators who have chosen to improve their practice in a professional development community. Storyline methodology was used to reveal the dynamic process which teacher educators undergo when they consider adopting innovative pedagogy. Findings reveal critical moments in professional development which are characterised by evaluation of feedback from colleagues and students. Professional growth results not only from interaction and negotiation of meaning within the community but also from the effects of messages received from outside the communal context. A two factor model taking into account implementation and feedback is used to show the dynamic process of evaluation and negotiation in teacher educators’ professional development trajectory. This study deepens understanding of transition towards change within learning communities, while providing insight into the development of teacher educators as a distinct professional group.

Trajectories of Pedagogic Change

In the 21st century higher education contexts, academic faculty face the challenge of developing teaching practice to meet contemporary demands of the rapidly changing world. Consequently, in many higher education contexts professional learning among faculty becomes an integral component in efforts for improving teaching practice. While these endeavours may vary widely in content and format, most share a purpose to change the pedagogical practices, beliefs, and understanding of educators in order to improve student learning (Guskey, 2002).